A staple in Asian cooking, this round-leafed vegetable may be less familiar to American cooks. Here’s what you need to know — including what its name means, how to wash it, and how to use it.

1. Bok Choy’s Name
Bok choy is sometimes referred to as white cabbage, not to be confused with Napa cabbage, which is also a type of Chinese cabbage. There are many kinds of bok choy that vary in color, taste, and size, including tah tsai and joi choi. You might also find bok choy spelled pak choi, bok choi, or pak choy.

2. Its Plant Family
Bok choy might look a lot like celery, but it’s a member of the cabbage family.

3. History
The Chinese have been cultivating the vegetable for more than 5,000 years.

4. Where It’s Grown
Although the veggie is still grown in China, bok choy is now also harvested in America and parts of Canada.

5. Cooking It
Bok choy, known for its mild flavor, is good for stir-fries, braising, and soups. You can also eat it raw. Try this delicious and easy recipe from Bon Appetit

There’s nothing wrong with family traditions, but it’s easy and fun to give those old favorites new life with fresh, locally raised foods. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to choose from autumn’s bountiful cornucopia of locally grown foods from salad greens to root vegetables. The most traditional Thanksgiving menu has its roots in local, seasonal foods.

And there’s even more to be thankful for, because local foods, when grown without synthetic chemicals, enhance our personal health, the health of our farmers, their farms, and our communities. And the virtuous circle expands as local organic foods benefit the soil, air, and water upon which life depends. We’re proud to host three certified organic farmers, along with another ten local farmers who practice sustainable, healthy growing techniques. Talk to your farmers at the Market, ask questions about how they grow their foods and discover tips on how to prepare the produce at home into the perfect holiday dish.

The Best Gardening Tips to Make Your Landscape Irresistible to Bees Article By Guest Contributor Christy Erikson, Saving Our Bees

Bees are our most beneficial pollinators. You can create a bee-friendly environment whether you tend a patio garden, are involved with a community garden, or plant a backyard habitat. Get started with these great gardening tips.

The season is changing which means we’ll be seeing some of our favorite cool weather produce making their appearance at the Market over the next few weeks, including the radish. So, we’re sharing our ten favorite ways to enjoy radishes this season.

Perhaps radish isn’t the first thing on your grocery list or you’ve never considered it a snack option. However, radishes were once so valued in Greece, that gold statues were fashioned in their image. There are so many varieties of radishes you’ll be able to find this season at the Market including watermelon, peppermint and even black radish! No matter which radish is your favorite all of them are packed with health benefits. Discover more fun facts we shared about the radish here.
Shop them at the Market all winter season and try new ways to prepare and serve this crunchy treat.

Walking the farmers market can be a very inspiring journey. In each aisle, shoppers might find a fruit they’ve never tasted, maybe a condiment they’ve never thought of, or perhaps even a dog on a skateboard scooting by. For Kenny Hadley, the market inspired a total lifestyle change.

Kenny has been a volunteer at the Community Exchange Table (CET) for nine years. Now, Kenny is known as the booth manager. His family, of Hadley Farmship, helped start the club through a local permaculture group. The operation is run completely by volunteers, and featured neighborhood growers and makers keep 80% or 90% of their profits (depending on the market they’re selling at).

The CET lately features the Orchard Community Learning Center, Sundown Ranch, two independent neighborhood locals who grow fruit and make all-natural beauty products, as well as Hadley Farmship. Growers and makers set their own prices. The Hadley’s also produce “Mom’s Tortillas.” Produce ranges from the exotic non-edibles that will catch shoppers’ eyes, such as loofah and pine-cones, to the all-familiar basil (bags of which they famously sell for just $1). Often, heritage seeds are sold next to the fruit they produce. Kenny recalls seeing huge stalks of sugarcane for sale at one market, but maintains that tart and sweet mulberries from their table are still the best thing he’s ever eaten in Phoenix.

Kenny’s perspective on produce in Phoenix is especially viable due to the fact that he has been eating exclusively raw vegan foods for five years this October. After watching “Food Inc.” in 2008, he had worked to cut “bad” foods from his diet progressively until 2012. At that point, Kenny was inspired to attempt a 10-day all-raw challenge by a fellow vendor at the market after hearing how great much it improved their overall well-being. His 10-day challenge became a life challenge.

As cooler temperatures roll in, we’re getting excited for a whole new season of fresh produce for fall and winter. Butternut Squash is a favorite winter squash variety to cook with because of it’s slightly sweet flavors and creaminess. Chop and roast for an easy side dish or simmer for soup, but we challenge you to think outside the box and add this colorful veggie into a variety of meals. This season cook up everything from creamy risotto to crispy fries. Tag us in your favorite recipes @phxpublicmarket

Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems.

This week’s Taste of the Market, C-CAP Arizona and 9 Degrees North Catering chefs will show us how to select, prepare and store squash. Learn how to make creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce and pick up ingredients like handmade pasta from Decio Pasta, mix in extra veggies and power up the protein by adding your favorite meat.

The Phoenix Division of the Slow Food Movement is gaining traction in our community, where the focus is placed on local culinary heritage and social justice. The Slow Food Movement, globally and nationally, aims to deepen the public’s awareness surrounding our food systems and how they affect just about every aspect of our livelihood on this planet. A daunting task, surely, so let’s start with lunch.

Slow Food Phoenix’s most recent project is entitled “Feeding the Future,” during which attendees will sample diverse dishes made by a bold lineup of beloved chefs, including Charleen Badman of Scottsdale’s FnB and Eddie Hantas of East Valley favorite Hummus Xpress. There’s a twist to this sampling event, though: each chef’s budget will reflect the current National School Lunch Program (NSLP) budget, and will be served in the style of an American school lunch.

As the weather changes across the globe so does the fresh produce that is available. Each season offers an array of beautiful fresh produce, this is a great time to start experimenting and trying new recipes or reworking those old ones to incorporate more seasonal fruits and vegetables. Not only will your palate be impressed but there are health benefits too.

One major benefit of shopping at the Open Air Market is talking to the growers directly about their produce and practices so you can make the most informed decision. Use EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to help you navigate your purchases and direct your questions to know more about the fruits and vegetables you are buying. Our growers use a variety of techniques and alternatives to pesticides. Learn for yourself by visiting your local farm stands this Saturday at the Market.